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KMID : 0368120110410100596
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Korean Circulation Journal
2011 Volume.41 No. 10 p.596 ~ p.602
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Arterial Stiffness in Female Patients With Fibromyalgia and Its Relationship to Chronic Emotional and Physical Stress
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Lee Ji-Hyun
Cho Kyoung-Im
Kim Seong-Man
Lee Hyeon-Gook
Kim Tae-Ik
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Abstract
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Background and Objectives : In patients with fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome, stress and pain may chronically enhance sympathetic activity, altering cardiovascular responses and inducing the arterial wall-stiffening process. We investigated arterial stiffness in FM patients using pulse wave velocity (PWV) and analyzed whether arterial stiffness was affected by the clinical parameters of FM.
Subjects and Methods : This study included 108 female FM patients (51.5±8.9 years) without any known cardiovascular diseases and 76 healthy female controls (50.1±8.9 years). FM patients underwent a manual tender point survey for tender point counts, and completed the visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain and fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), which were composed of a physical and feel score. Brachial-ankle pulse-wave velocity (baPWV) was measured with an automated device. The study participants were subdivided into 2 groups based on the sum of the FIQ score (group A: FIQ ≥50, group B: <50).
Results: Patients with FM had significantly higher baPWV than the controls, and significant increase were noted in baPWV values of group A compared with those of group B. BaPWV showed a significant positive correlation (correlation coefficient=6.83, p=0.022) with severity of disease assessed by FIQ.
Conclusion: The patients with FM showed significantly increased arterial stiffness, suggesting a pathophysiologic link between FM and endothelial dysfunction. This study provides a basis for clarifying the mechanism by which chronic pain syndrome is associated with an increased risk of vascular stiffness.
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KEYWORD
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Fibromyalgia, Compliance, Stress, Pulse wave velocity
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